Electric razor end cap arrangement

ABSTRACT

An improved end cap arrangement for a dry shaver, such as an electric razor or the like, which includes a pair of oppositely disposed, pivotally mounted end caps, each including a spring unit associated therewith and arranged such that the caps are biased into both opened and closed positions, and tend to remain in the position to which they are moved by the user. The end caps include upper and lower portions as well as a pair of pivot points disposed generally centrally thereof and forming a horizontally extending pivot axis. The spring is affixed at one end thereof to the lower extension of the end caps and at the other end thereof to a portion of a well formed in the razor body to accomodate the spring. In use, the spring, which includes a pair of inner and outer leg portions extending radially outwardly from an axis defined by a pair of spaced apart coils, is compressed so that the reaction force thereof urges the bottom of the end cap downwardly to maintain the upper part of the cap in a closed position, while, upon movement of the bottom portion of the end cap against the force of the spring, the entire spring is relocated within the well so that the spring urges the lower portion of the cap upwardly to an opened position of the cap unit. Since the axis of the spring moves through an arc, and the spring legs undergo a change of position in opening and closing, spring movement is very limited in relation to the permitted movement of the end caps.

United States Patent [1 1 Bartram et al.

11' 3,748,730 [4 1 July 31, 1973 1 ELECTRIC RAZOR END CAP ARRANGEMENT [75] Inventors: Nial Bartram, Wilmington, Del.;

James H. Foard, Jr., Lancaster, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Schick Incorporated, Lancaster, Pa.

[22] Filed: Aug. 18, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 172,709

[52] 0.8. CI. 30/43.l, 30/4392 [51] Int. Cl B26b 19/38 [58] Field of Search 30/431, 32, 43.91, 30/4392, 90, 43

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,579,824 5/1971 Matsumoto 30/4392 2,611,175 9/1952 Kobler 30/4392 X Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith Att0rneyFred S. Lockwood et al.

[57] ABSTRACT An improved end cap arrangement for a dry shaver, such as an electric razor or the like, which includes a pair of oppositely disposed, pivotally mounted end caps, each including a spring unit associated therewith and arranged such that the caps are biased into-both opened and closed positions, and tend to remain in the position to which they are moved by the user. The end caps include upper and lower portions as well as a pair of pivot points disposed generally centrally thereof and forming a horizontally extending pivot axis. The spring is affixed at one end thereof to the lower extension of the end caps and at the other end thereof to a portion of a well formed in the razor body to accomodate the spring. in use, the spring, which includes a pair of inner and outer leg portions extending radially outwardly.

from an axis defined by a pair of spaced apart coils, is compressed so that the reaction force thereof urges the bottom of the end cap downwardly to maintain the upper part of the cap in a closed position, while, upon movement of the bottom portion of the end cap against the force of the spring, the entire spring is relocated within the well so that the spring urges the lower portion of the cap upwardly to an opened position of the cap unit. Since the axis of the spring moves through an arc, and the spring legs undergo a change of position in opening and closing, spring movement is very limited in relation to the permitted movemen'tof the end caps.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ELECTRIC RAZOR END CAP ARRANGEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to dry shavers, such as electric razors and the like, and more particularly, to the construction of an economical, improved end cover assembly for one or more cutting heads of such instruments. Typically, after use, an electric razor is cleaned by directing a brush or forced air through a portionof the cutting head sleeve beneath the blade or cutter bar portion of the cuttinghead sleeve beneath the blade or cutter bar portion of the razor to remove hair clippings collected therein. In some razor units, the razor must be partially disassembled for cleaning, while in other constructions, the end caps or covers, which are some times referred to as whisk-its are manually snapped open against the force of a return spring which is released by an actuator button or the like. In some cases, the end caps are consistently urged toward a closed position and are held open until cleaning is completed. In the present invention, a snap over center arrangement is provided wherein the spring urges the caps open as well as closed, depending upon the position thereof.

As is the case with many small appliances and the like which are adapted to be manufactured in high volumes at low cost, but which are nevertheless expected to demonstrate a high degree of reliability, there is still room for improvement in various aspects of the design and operationof electric razors, and particularly in those areas wherein the design improvement results in increased convenience of handling, ease of manufacture, and reduction of costs.

Furthermore, there is a particular advantage in the manufacture of an end cap closing system which is sufficiently reliable and easy to use so that cleaning of the shaving heads is encouraged in the interest of longer product life.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a preferred construction of end caps of electric or other dry shavers wherein each individual cap is biased closed in a normal position of use, but wherein the caps may be opened by forceapplication on the lowerportion thereof, and whereby the same spring urging the cap closed biases it to an open position after the position of the spring has been moved by ope'ningthe cap.

In view of the foregoing desirable characteristics of an improved electric razor, and in view of the absence of such improvements in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dry shaver having an improved end cap construction.

A further object is the provision of an electric razor having individually openable end caps which operate independently of each other.

A still further object is the provision of an openable end cap arrangement wherein a single spring biases the end cap into either an opened or closed position.

A further object is to provide a spring opening and closing arrangement for a dry shaver end cap which utilizes a spring having a pair of legs generating a pair of forces about a spring axis, and wherein the ends of one set of legs are relatively fixed, the other leg ends are received within a portionof the cap, and wherein the axis of the spring is moved during opening and closing of the caps.

A still further object is to provide an end cap and spring arrangement wherein opening and closing forces are both supplied in the same direction for opening and closing and wherein the center portion of the spring is moved during opening and closing of the razor end caps.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by providing an electric razor unit having a pair of openable end caps pivotally mounted on a body containing a spring receiving well therein, with each cap including upper and lower segments, and a spring received in the well and having one end attached to the lower portion of said cap, the other leg attached to a fixed point within said well and with the center of the spring being movable through an arc, whereby the spring biases the end caps into both a fully opened and fully closed position while applying forces in the same direction for both purposes.

The manner in which these objects and advantagesare achieved will become more clearly apparent when reference is made to the accompanying detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention set forth by way of example, and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indica'te corresponding parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric shaver according to the invention, showing one end cap thereof in the open position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing the end caps of the invention in different positions of use; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken along lines 3- 3 of FIG. 2 and showing the interior of an end cap with the operating spring thereof in position of use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Although it will be understood that the invention may exist in a number of different forms, a preferred 'embodiment thereof will be described wherein the razor unit is otherwise generally conventional but includes an oppositely disposed pair of novel end caps and a spring operating mechanism therefor to be described in greater detail herein.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a razor unit made according to the invention and generally designated 10 is shown to include a lower motor housing portion 12 and an upper body portion 14 which is adapted to receive a shaving head assembly 16 having the end portions 18 thereof covered by a pair of end caps 20. The upper portion 14 is inclined at an angle to the lower housing 12 for purposes of convenience in handling. The head assembly 16 includes a pair of individual cutting units 22, 24 received within a slot 26 extending entirely across the upper body 14, with a well 28 being located beneath each outer portion of the slot 26.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that each end cap 20 includes an upper portion 30, and a lower portion 32, separated by an imaginary line coinciding with the common centerline of a pair of pivot pins 34 which support the cap for pivotal movement. Disposed within the well 28 is a spring unit which is also shown in FIG. 3 and which is generally designated 36. This spring includes a first pair of leg portions 38 with end portions 40 thereof received in bosses 42 forming a part of the bottom wall 44 of the well 28.The bosses 42 permit the legs to rotate, but not otherwise to change position. The other pair of spring legs 46 are connected to each other by a bight portion 48 which lies against the inner surface 50 of the cap 20. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the retainer assembly 52 forthe spring bight 48 includes a cover 54 having vertical slots 56 therein and a locking ramp or wedge 58 disposed between arms of the cover.

As a result, the spring bight 48 is free to rotate, but is otherwise locked against movement relative to the end caps 20. The center portion of the spring 36 is formed by a pair of spaced apart coils 60, the respective ends of which form the sets of legs 38, 46. Therefore, it will be appreciated that, with the legs being spaced apart in use by an angle of about 30, movement of the legs toward each other increases the strain on the coils 60 and increases the reaction force on the legs, which, in the preferred form of construction, would occupy an unstressed position with about a 120 angle lying between thelegs. Accordingly, compression to a decreasing included angle will increase the reaction force on the springs, which already are arranged so that the leg portions thereof are urged normally apart.

Referring again to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the left hand portion of FIG. 2 shows the end caps in an open position and the right hand side thereof shows the end cap in the closed position. By comparing the two sides of the figure, it will be noted that although the included angle between the legs 38, 46 is the same or similar in both positions, and although the bight portion 48 of the spring and the end portions 40 of the legs 38 are still retained in the same positions in the lower portion 32 of the end cap 20 and in the well 28 respectively, the center of coil portion 60 of the spring 36 has moved through an arc from a position closely adjacent the inner surface 50 of the cap 20 and substantially above the boss 42 to a position lying inwardly of the boss 42 and well below the lower edge of the cap 20.

In this arrangement, not only does a single spring act to bias a given end cap 20 to both the open and closed positions, but substantial movement is permitted without great changes in the applied spring force. In other words, the amount of force desired to hold the end cap in a closed position and to hold it in an open position is substantially the same, since the included angle between the legs 38, 46 is substantially the same. Furthermore, in passing from one position to another, the spring reaction force does not increase greatly, since the major portion of spring movement is the movement of the center coil 60 through an arc, and only minimal tightening or loosening of the coil 60 occurs during movement of the spring 36.

Referring now to the operation of the spring loaded end cap, assuming that the shaving operation is completed and the razor unit has the end caps thereof in a closed position, the user pushes inwardly on the lower portion 32 of the end cap, that is, on the outer surface thereof beneath the pivot pins 34. This moves the upper portion of the end cap outwardly and the legs 38, 46 are moved slightly together, while the coil portion 60 of the spring moves inwardly and downwardly. As the caps pass through approximately a 45 angle, the spring forces tend to force the caps into an open position rather than a closed position thereof. Accordingly, the caps then spontaneously snap to the position shown in the left hand side of FIG. 2, that is, into the fully open position with the coil portion 60 of the spring 36 lying downwardly and spaced just apart from the bottom wall 42 of the well 28.

After the razor is cleaned by a brush or forced air, each cap is individually returned to its closed position by the reverse of the foregoing process, that is, by pushing on the upper portions 30 of the end caps 20, causing them to pivot upwardly into the closed position in a sequence substantially the reverse of that just described.

Referring now to other features of the invention, it will be noted that assembly of the bight portion 48 of the spring 36 is accomplished most easily by pressing the bight portion upwardly in the slot 56, causing the center portion of the bight 48 to bow outward somewhat in order to ride over the wedge or ramp surface 58. Once in place, the shoulder formed by the upper surface of the ramp 58 retains the bight from moving downwardly when the cap 20 is in the open position. On the other hand, when the cap 20 is in the closed position, the top edges of the slots 56 in the cover 54 of the retainer assembly prevent the bight 48 from moving upwardly. It has been found in use that the user can maintain excellent feel consistent with minimum forces being applied to the end caps to minimize premature fatigue of the springs or the like.

The construction shown is also relatively compact, inasmuch as the spring 36 swings out of the way of the lower portion 32 of the cap 20 when the caps are open, the well 28 serving also to accomodate the lower portion 32 of the end cap 20 in the open position thereof.

As is conventional in electric razor practice, the end caps may be made from a high impact material such as any well known moldable thermoplastic material, while the springs are easily and economically made from ordinary coil spring stock.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a novel end cap arrangement for an electric shaver, having a number of advantages and characteristics, including those pointed out herein and others which are inherent in the invention. A preferred embodiment of the invention having been described, it will be understood that variations and modifications to the particular construction shown will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and that such changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A dry shaver unit including a shaver body portion, at least one shaving head, means in said body beneath said shaver head for defining a pair of openings, a pair of end caps for said shaving head disposed in oppositely facing relation to each other, each of said caps having an upper portion adapted to cover an end of said shaving head, a lower portion covering an end of said opening and first pivot means disposed between said upper and lower portions for supporting said cap for pivotal movement about a given first axis which is fixed with respect to said body portion and transverse to the elongated axial dimension of the shaving head, a spring having a spring center and at least two legs extending radially outwardly therefrom, forming an acute angle therebetween and urged apart by said center, second pivot means formed in said lower portion of said cap for retaining the end portion of one of said spring legs, and third pivot means in said opening means for retaining the end portions of the other of said spring legs, said third pivot means being fixed with respect to said body portion, both of said second and third pivot means permitting rotation of the spring leg associated therewith about said respective pivot means, both of said second and third pivot means being mounted close ly'adjacent one another and arranged td'caus'e -arpuate movement of said spring center within saidop'ening upon pivotal movement of said end cap, and to cause said secondpivot means to pass through a line drawn between th centers of pivot of said first and third pivot meansi dur ing pivotal movement of said cap between open and respective coils which are connected therebetween at axially inner portions of each respective coil, wherein closed" positions whereby said second pivot meansfa resides axially outwardly of said line when said cap is.'.

in said closed position, and axially inwardly of said line when said cap is in said open position, said acute angle being of sufficient magnitude for said spring to bias said end cap into said open and closed, positions.

2. A shaver unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said one -of said at least two legs comprises a generally U- shaped leg extending between the'inne'r portions of said respective coils and wherein a nother of said at least one leg is in'the' form of a pair of legs each extending radially outwardly from the outer portion of the respective coil of which it forms a part. I!

6. A dry shaver unit including a shaver body portion,

" Y at least one shaving head, means in said body beneath spring center comprises a pair of axially spaced apart coils, with one of said at least two legs extending be-' tween inner ends of said coils, being in generally U- shaped form, and extending radially from said center in:

a given plane, and the other of said at least one leg being a pair of legs extending from the outer ends of in said lower portion of said cover, and a ramp means.

having the inclined end portionthereof directed down: r

wardly and a shoulder directed upwardly, whereby said portion of said spring legs, upon over-riding said ramp portion, is secured against both upward and downward movement, but not against rotation.

, 4. In an electric razor having a body portion, a cutter unit and a pair of end caps for covering the end portions of said cutter unit, said end caps having upper and lower portions and being pivoted about a given axis fixed with respect to said body portion and coincident with a line dividing said cap into said upper and lower portions, the improvement comprising a snap over center action spring for biasing said cap into both open and closed positions, said spring having a center portion formed by at least one coil having an axis parallel to said pivot axis and at least two legs forming an acute angle and urged apart by said spring center, one of said legs being received in first receiving means in said lower portion of said cap and the other leg being received within second receiving means comprising a fixed opening in said body and having a second fixed axis, said respective legs being secured so as to permit axis, as said end cap pivots between said open and.

closed positions, said first receiving means residing axially outwardly of said line when said end cap is in said closed position, and residing axially inwardly of said line when said cap is in said open position, said angle being of sufficient magnitude for said spring to bias said end cap toward said open and closed positions.

"said shaver head for defining 'a pair of openings, a pair of end caps for said shaving head disposed in oppositely facing relation to each other, each of said caps having a an vupper portion adapted to cover an end. of said shaving head, a lower portion covering an end of said opening and means disposed between said upper and lower portions for supporting said cap for pivotal movement about a given axis, a spring having a spring center and at least two legs extending radially outwardly therefrom and urged apart by said center, means foi'med in said lower portion of said cap for retaining the end portion of one of said spring legs, and means in said opening means for retaining the end portions of the other of said spring legs, both of said retaining means permitting only rotation of said spring unit about-said retaining means, both of said spring-retaining .means being mounted closely adjacent one another and arranged is cause arcuaternovement of said spring "center. within said opening upo'ri'pivotal'movernent of said end cap;

whereinsaidspring center comprises a pair ofaxially spaced apart coils,with one of said at least two legs ex tending between inner ends of said coils, being in generally U-shaped form, and extending radially'from said center in a given plane, and the other of said at least one leg being a pair of legs extending from the outer ends of said vcoil, said second pair of legs also extending radially outwardly from said center and, in position of use, occupying a plane spaced apart from the plane of said first legs by a narrow included angle.

7. A dry shaver unit including'a shaver body portion, at least one shaving head,'means in said body beneath said shaver head for defining a pair of openings, a pair of end caps for said shaving head disposed in oppositely facing relation to each other, each of said caps having an upper portion adapted to cover an end of said shaving head, a lower portion covering an end of said opening and means disposed between said upper and lower portions for supporting saidvcap for pivotal movement about a given axis, a spring having a spring center and at least two legs extending radially outwardly therefrom and urged apart by said center, meansformed in said lower portion of said cap for retaining the end portion of one of said spring legs, and means in said opening means for retaining the end portions of the other of said spring legs, both of said retaining means permitting only rotation of said spring unit about said retaining means, both of said spring-retaining means being mounted closely adjacent one another and arranged to cause arcuate movement of said spring center within said opening upon pivotal movement of said end cap;

wherein said means for retaining said end portionof said spring'legs includes means defining a downwardly opening slot in said lower portion of said cover, and a ramp means having the inclined end portion thereof directed downwardlyand a shoulder directed upwardly,

An electric razor as in claim 4 wherein said a t least, one coil is in the form of a pair of axially spacedfip a'rt whereby said portion of said spring legs, upon overriding said ramp portion, is secured against both upward and downward movement, but not against rotation.

8. In an electric razor having a body portion, a cutter unit anda pair of end caps for covering the end portions of said cutter unit, said end caps having upper and lower portions and being pivoted about a given axis coincident with a line dividing said cap into said upper and lower portions, the improvement comprising a snap over center action spring for biasing said cap into both open and closed positions, said spring having a center portion formed by at least one coil having an axis parallel to said pivot axis and at least two legs urged apart by said spring center, one of said legs being received in said lower portion of said cap and the other portion thereof being received within an opening in said body, said leg ends being secured so as to permit rotation and secured against translatory movement, whereby said coil portion will undergo arcuate movement upon pivotal movement of said end cap between open and closed positions thereof; wherein said at least one coil is in the form of a pair ofaxially spaced apart respective coils which are connected therebetween at axially inner portions of each respective coil, wherein one of said at least two legs comprises a generally U- shaped leg extending between the inner portions of said respective coils and wherein another of said at least one leg is in the form of a pair of legs each extending radially outwardly from the axially outer portion of the respective coil of which it forms a part. 

1. A dry shaver unit including a shaver body portion, at least one shaving head, means in said body beneath said shaver head for defining a pair of openings, a pair of end caps for said shaving head disposed in oppositely facing relation to each other, each of said caps having an upper portion adapted to cover an end of said shaving head, a lower portion covering an end of said opening and first pivot means disposed between said upper and lower portions for supporting said cap for pivotal movement about a given first axis which is fixed with respect to said body portion and transverse to the elongated axial dimension of the shaving head, a spring having a spring center and at least two legs extending radially outwardly therefrom, forming an acute angle therebetween and urged apart by said center, second pivot means formed in said lower portion of said cap for retaining the end portion of one of said spring legs, and third pivot means in said opening means for retaining the end portions of the other of said spring legs, said third pivot means being fixed with respect to said body portion, both of said second and third pivot means permitting rotation of the spring leg associated therewith about said respective pivot means, both of said second and third pivot means being mounted closely adjacent one another and arranged to cause arcuate movement of said spring center within said opening upon pivotal movement of said end cap, and to cause said second pivot means to pass thRough a line drawn between the centers of pivot of said first and third pivot means during pivotal movement of said cap between ''''open'''' and ''''closed'''' positions whereby said second pivot means resides axially outwardly of said line when said cap is in said closed position, and axially inwardly of said line when said cap is in said ''''open'''' position, said acute angle being of sufficient magnitude for said spring to bias said end cap into said ''''open'''' and ''''closed'''' positions.
 2. A shaver unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring center comprises a pair of axially spaced apart coils, with one of said at least two legs extending between inner ends of said coils, being in generally U-shaped form, and extending radially from said center in a given plane, and the other of said at least one leg being a pair of legs extending from the outer ends of said coil, said second pair of legs also extending radially outwardly from said center and, in position of use, occupying a plane spaced apart from the plane of said first legs by a narrow included angle.
 3. A shaver unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for retaining said end portion of said one spring leg includes means defining a downwardly opening slot in said lower portion of said cover, and a ramp means having the inclined end portion thereof directed downwardly and a shoulder directed upwardly, whereby said portion of said spring legs, upon over-riding said ramp portion, is secured against both upward and downward movement, but not against rotation.
 4. In an electric razor having a body portion, a cutter unit and a pair of end caps for covering the end portions of said cutter unit, said end caps having upper and lower portions and being pivoted about a given axis fixed with respect to said body portion and coincident with a line dividing said cap into said upper and lower portions, the improvement comprising a snap over center action spring for biasing said cap into both open and closed positions, said spring having a center portion formed by at least one coil having an axis parallel to said pivot axis and at least two legs forming an acute angle and urged apart by said spring center, one of said legs being received in first receiving means in said lower portion of said cap and the other leg being received within second receiving means comprising a fixed opening in said body and having a second fixed axis, said respective legs being secured so as to permit rotation and secured against translatory movement with respect to its respective receiving means, whereby said coil portion will undergo arcuate movement upon pivotal movement of said end cap between open and closed positions thereof, and wherein said second receiving means is positioned and arranged to cause said first receiving means to pass through a straight line drawn between said given axis and the second fixed axis, as said end cap pivots between said open and closed positions, said first receiving means residing axially outwardly of said line when said end cap is in said closed position, and residing axially inwardly of said line when said cap is in said open position, said angle being of sufficient magnitude for said spring to bias said end cap toward said open and closed positions.
 5. An electric razor as in claim 4 wherein said at least one coil is in the form of a pair of axially spaced apart respective coils which are connected therebetween at axially inner portions of each respective coil, wherein one of said at least two legs comprises a generally U-shaped leg extending between the inner portions of said respective coils and wherein another of said at least one leg is in the form of a pair of legs each extending radially outwardly from the outer portion of the respective coil of which it forms a part.
 6. A dry shaver unit including a shaver body portion, at least one shaving head, means in said body beneath said shaver head for defining a pair of openings, a pair of end caps for said shaving head dispoSed in oppositely facing relation to each other, each of said caps having an upper portion adapted to cover an end of said shaving head, a lower portion covering an end of said opening and means disposed between said upper and lower portions for supporting said cap for pivotal movement about a given axis, a spring having a spring center and at least two legs extending radially outwardly therefrom and urged apart by said center, means formed in said lower portion of said cap for retaining the end portion of one of said spring legs, and means in said opening means for retaining the end portions of the other of said spring legs, both of said retaining means permitting only rotation of said spring unit about said retaining means, both of said spring-retaining means being mounted closely adjacent one another and arranged to cause arcuate movement of said spring center within said opening upon pivotal movement of said end cap; wherein said spring center comprises a pair of axially spaced apart coils, with one of said at least two legs extending between inner ends of said coils, being in generally U-shaped form, and extending radially from said center in a given plane, and the other of said at least one leg being a pair of legs extending from the outer ends of said coil, said second pair of legs also extending radially outwardly from said center and, in position of use, occupying a plane spaced apart from the plane of said first legs by a narrow included angle.
 7. A dry shaver unit including a shaver body portion, at least one shaving head, means in said body beneath said shaver head for defining a pair of openings, a pair of end caps for said shaving head disposed in oppositely facing relation to each other, each of said caps having an upper portion adapted to cover an end of said shaving head, a lower portion covering an end of said opening and means disposed between said upper and lower portions for supporting said cap for pivotal movement about a given axis, a spring having a spring center and at least two legs extending radially outwardly therefrom and urged apart by said center, means formed in said lower portion of said cap for retaining the end portion of one of said spring legs, and means in said opening means for retaining the end portions of the other of said spring legs, both of said retaining means permitting only rotation of said spring unit about said retaining means, both of said spring-retaining means being mounted closely adjacent one another and arranged to cause arcuate movement of said spring center within said opening upon pivotal movement of said end cap; wherein said means for retaining said end portion of said spring legs includes means defining a downwardly opening slot in said lower portion of said cover, and a ramp means having the inclined end portion thereof directed downwardly and a shoulder directed upwardly, whereby said portion of said spring legs, upon over-riding said ramp portion, is secured against both upward and downward movement, but not against rotation.
 8. In an electric razor having a body portion, a cutter unit and a pair of end caps for covering the end portions of said cutter unit, said end caps having upper and lower portions and being pivoted about a given axis coincident with a line dividing said cap into said upper and lower portions, the improvement comprising a snap over center action spring for biasing said cap into both open and closed positions, said spring having a center portion formed by at least one coil having an axis parallel to said pivot axis and at least two legs urged apart by said spring center, one of said legs being received in said lower portion of said cap and the other portion thereof being received within an opening in said body, said leg ends being secured so as to permit rotation and secured against translatory movement, whereby said coil portion will undergo arcuate movement upon pivotal movement of said end cap between open and closed positions thereof; wherein said at least one coil is in the form of a pAir of axially spaced apart respective coils which are connected therebetween at axially inner portions of each respective coil, wherein one of said at least two legs comprises a generally U-shaped leg extending between the inner portions of said respective coils and wherein another of said at least one leg is in the form of a pair of legs each extending radially outwardly from the axially outer portion of the respective coil of which it forms a part. 